The Great Case
by Detecting history
Summary: Join the team as they navigate the twist and turns of the most baffling case they have had yet. A team fic with a Tony/Ziva twist at the end... Please give it a try!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Be sure to pay attention to detail! Warning: This is a story for the case, not for developing characters. Grab you hot chocolate and settle in!**

**8 hours earlier… **Charlene was passing by the downtown store fronts with her friends when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw something peculiar. It turned out to be a man; just lying there in the middle of the side-walk. She reached over and murmured to him, "Excuse me Sir, but there is a bench right there for you to lie down on. Oh!" She gasped as she turned the man over and saw blood trickling down the side of his face.

**Present time… **"Ah, McGee so glad you could join us." Tony said as he leaned back in his chair. "Ziva and I were just discussing about Ducky being gone this week." Ziva smiled appreciatively at Tony for his cover up. McGee, oblivious as usual, threw his backpack down and sat in his chair.

"Yes, it will be a strange thing to have Jimmy doing Autopsy this week." McGee sighed and Tony started talking again, "So, Ziva do you have time today for,"

"For what DiNozzo? You two to have dinner? We got a dead marine downtown. Grab your gear." The team jumped up from their desks and immediately grabbed their gear.

Once they were at the crime scene Ziva started to take photographs. She photographed the blood on the bench and the victim's wallet which was lying near him. Tony was working with her; bagging and tagging when she was done taking pictures. "Not much here in the way of evidence." Tony observed. Ziva chuckled and said, "I see that McGee is busy taking witness statements."

"Now uh,"

"Charlene." The woman said politely.

"Is there anything you can tell me?" McGee questioned.

"Well, I was busy walking down the street with my friends when I spotted him lying there. I thought it was a funny position for someone to be in so I went over to him. At first he appeared unconscious but when I turned him over I saw that he was dead. Then I called the police, who in turn called you." She concluded her statements and McGee sent her off, telling her they would be in touch. Just then Jimmy ducked under the tape. "Oh, I see there aren't any maggots. I like fresh bodies; not old ones with their smell and all their bugs and dehydrated skin..." Gibbs glowered at Palmer. "Right, it appears that he was killed by head trauma our killer bashed his head in, all though that's obvious, there are signs of a struggle. Huh, his fingerprints are missing." Here Tony butted in, "Well that's ok because we found his wallet Boss." Gibbs gave Tony an annoyed look. "Well, who is he then DiNozzo?"

"Sergeant Tyler Griffin." Tony answered.

"McGee put it up." Gibbs called. McGee obeyed and started to narrate, "Sergeant Tyler Griffin served in Iraq and Afghanistan and was dishonorably discharged from the service three months ago. His charges were dis-obeying officers' orders and getting into fights. Before he was put on a plane back to D.C. he went missing in action. Known to be the quiet type and easily angered, he is single and his mother, father, and brother are still living. Family relations appear good. Before sent to Afghanistan Sergeant Griffin lived in the outskirts of D.C. and based on his credit card charges, frequented a coffee shop in downtown D.C."

"Very good McGee, Tony, Ziva, bring in the parents." Gibbs called.

**A/N: So how is it? Did you like the character of Charlene? If yes, would you like to see her somewhere else in the story? Would you like me to include song suggestions during some of the upcoming fight/chase scenes? Tell me in your reviews, and trust me, they are appreciated! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you for all of your reviews and responses! They are much appreciated. I know the first chapter was a bit slow, but I had to establish a base. **

"Move, move!" Ziva shouted as she threw a punch at a man's face and bolted out the door.

**4 hours earlier… **Ziva climbed out of the passenger's seatwhile saying, "Well, So much for our dinner tonight."

"Comes with the job I suppose." Tony answered as they walked side by side up the sidewalk. Tony walked up to the door and knocked. They waited momentarily, and then the door swung open to reveal the face of a woman in about her mid-60s. Tony looked at Ziva to see who would break the news to her and Ziva gave him the "I'll handle it" look before saying, "I am so sorry ma'am but, your son has been killed and we need to ask you some questions about him." Ziva waved her badge in front of her and read the woman's reaction. Tears welled up in the woman's eyes and she shook her head several times before calling to her husband and stepping outside. When the husband finally stepped out, they all piled into Tony's car and headed back to headquarters.

Gibbs walked into the conference room, coffee in hand, and sat down. Ziva was already sitting there waiting on him. "Mr. and Mrs. Griffin, when did you last see your son?" Gibbs questioned. Mrs. Griffin was sobbing so her husband gently answered the questions put before them, "About a year ago I suppose. Before he went back to Iraq."

"And, did he have any unusual habits?"

"Yes, he used to go down to the coffee shop every day. He would stay there for over two hours before coming home. I have never seen someone spend so much time in a coffee shop before. But that was it. Please Agent Gibbs, you must understand that our son was a good boy, he would never get mixed up in something that would get him murdered. There is something fishy going on here."

"We will do the best we can to get to the bottom of this." Gibbs finished, then picked up his coffee and left the conference room.

The bullpen was silent as McGee typed away and Tony waited on hold. Tony was trying to get a hold of the bank which had Griffin's account. There was something suspicious in the way he was getting paid. Finally the music stopped and a man picked up saying, "First Federal Bank. Can I help you?"

"Yes, I am agent DiNozzo of N.C.I.S and we have been investigating Sergeant Tyler Griffin's death. Where was the money transfers coming from that were being deposited into his account every two months?"

"Excuse me, who are you?"

"Agent DiNozzo of N.C.I.S."

"What is that, Nebraska Corn Industry Service?" The manager of the bank asked. Tony grimaced upon hearing that. Why couldn't he work for the FBI or somewhere recognizable? He sighed and answered, "No. Naval Criminal Investigative Service."

"Oh, what is your name again?"

"Answer my question or I will charge you with obstruction of justice!" Tony shouted at the man.

"Fine. They were coming from some bank in Chicago."

"Thank you." Tony said tensely then hung up. He shook his head; refusing to believe that he had just had that conversation. Turning back to the computer screen, he wrote down what he had just heard. Then upon glancing up and seeing his partner there, he stood up and grabbed his gun out of his drawer. Ziva smiled broadly and said, "Ready to find out what was going on at the coffee shop?" Tony grinned back at her and gave a positive, "Ready." Then they walked to the elevator together chatting lightly about things other than work.

They pulled up in front of a neat looking coffee shop. The awning was alternately striped between light blue and brown. In front a big sign side **Biggies coffee shop** in large bold letters. It certainly didn't look like a seedy place. Ziva frowned and muttered, "Are you sure this is the right place Tony?"

"I am absolutely positive that I can follow a GPS Ziva." Tony led the way up the steps and in through the front door. They walked up to a woman standing behind a marble countertop and asked, "Excuse me do you recognize this person?" Ziva flashed a picture of their victim in front of the woman. The woman paled and said in a slightly unsteady voice, "Yes, He used to talk to those two sitting over there." She nodded her head in the direction of the table in question. Two men were sitting at a corner table talking in low voices and sipping coffee. Tony took the lead and strode over to their table. Then Tony cleared his throat and announced, "Hey you guys ever seen this man before?" The two men glanced over to each other, and suddenly one man leaned over the table and knocked Tony in the head with the back of his hand. Tony fell forward against the table; knocking his head against it. The last thing he heard before his world went black was Ziva shouting, "Tony!" Ziva was torn between helping her partner and taking off after the men. Finally she made up her mind.

"Move, move!" Ziva shouted as she threw a punch at a man's face and bolted out the door. The men were flying down the sidewalk. She could take a back alley and catch up to them. They had the lead on her though, thanks to those men who tried to block her from the door. Ziva made her way out of the alley to find the men trying to cross a street. They bolted in front of some cars instead of waiting for the cross walk. Ziva followed saying stuff like, "Move!" and, "Pardon me," as she stopped and started and wove her way around the cars in the street. The men had arrived at the opposite sidewalk and were weaving around the people window shopping. Ziva made her way past the last car and arrived at the sidewalk pushing her way past people and shouting as she went.

**A/N: Sorry to leave you hanging like that! I hope you are enjoying it so far. Please review because that is the drug that all writers are addicted to!** **Don't forget to check out my poll on my profile page. And if you like this story, check out my collab story with LivyRox called, Of Switched Positions and Undercover Assignments. I love you guys, you are awesome!**


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